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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Genuinely frightening supernatural attacks and horror imagery
Language
None
No profanity
Sexual Content
Barely any
Implied adult temptations offered by the carnival
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Themes of desire, aging, death, and the corrupting nature of wishes; deeply atmospheric dread throughout
What this book is about
Two boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, discover a dark carnival that arrives at their Illinois town just before Halloween, run by the sinister Mr. Dark. The carnival offers to fulfill your deepest desires—but every wish comes with a monstrous cost. Bradbury's luminous dark fantasy is one of the finest novels about the temptation of escapism and the cost of growing up, written in some of the most atmospheric prose in American literature.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Genuinely frightening supernatural villain and imagery
Themes of desire, aging, and death
Horror elements including body horror
Reader Verification
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